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Summary

Bathe pool appears to be a man-made feature with massive earthen banks on the east, south and west sides, the natural slope of the field above providing the northern bank. Typographically it should be a silted-up pond. However, LiDAR data indicates that it is a definite earthwork and its proximity to the fort complex has led to the suggestion that it may have been an amphitheatre.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021151: Roman forts, marching camps and associated monuments
• SHINE: Two Roman forts (two Roman fortlets are located in northwest corner of northern fort) and two marching camps, Roman building, Roman roads, enclosures, prehistoric ring ditches, undated linears and Bathe Pool south of North Tawton

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 34261
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS60SE/21
• Old SAM Ref: 10384.04
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SS60SE17
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• POOL (Unknown date)

Full description

Polwhele, R., 1793-1806, The History of Devonshire (Monograph). SDV21030.

Westcote, T., 1845, A View of Devonshire in 1630 (Monograph). SDV227839.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Bathe Pool' shown on 19th century map as a sub-oval feature in the north-east corner of the field to the west of 'Bathe Barton'.

Williams, H. F. F., 1954, North Tawton: A Devon Market Town, 117-118 (Article in Serial). SDV224896.

A pit apparently an intermittent spring. Recorded to have been full in 1805 (deaths of Nelson and Pitt), 1817 (Princess Charlotte), 1852 (Wellington), 1910 (King Edward VII), and in 1914.

Brown, T., 1957, Holy and Notable Wells of Devon, 214 (Article in Serial). SDV304810.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1973, SS60SE17 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV319412.

Bathe Pool is a well associated with Folk Lore.

Griffith, F. M., 1977, Bathe Pool (Personal Comment). SDV345270.

Well in grounds of Bathe House ('Bathe Pool'). Not a spring. Never fills except to forecast national calamity! Bathe Pool appears to have been filled in in recent years (on aerial evidence). The site lies within the area scheduled as an ancient monument in 1989. The potential palaeo environmental information available from this pool may be valuable.

Department of Environment, 2003, Roman Forts, Marching Camps and Associated Monuments (Schedule Document). SDV343864.

The scheduled area for Roman forts, marching camps and associated monuments around Cottle's Barton includes Bathe Pool. Other details: SM 10384 04.

Young, A., 2005, Transcriptions from Winkleigh Biomass Plant National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Cartographic). SDV321540.

Transcriptions of ditches correspond to the grid reference for PRN166955.

Young, A. & Turner, S., 2005-2006, North Devon/Winkleigh Biomass Plant National Mapping Programme (NMP) project database records, PRN166955 (Interpretation). SDV358473.

Bathe Pool is visible as an infilled hollow on aerial photos taken between 1946 and 1989 (p1, 2). It appears as two concentric sub-circular ditches, its extents measuring 48m x 41m. The site has been digitally plotted as part of the National Mapping Programme.
Photograph references:
1. RAF RAF 3G/TUD/UK138 5290-6 (F12) 11-APR-1946
2. DCC DAP OQ 05 (NMR SS 6600/51- 6781/05) 18-JUL-1989

National Monuments Record, 2010, 34261 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV345269.

Bathe Pool. Well associated with folklore

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

'Bathe Pool' shown on modern mapping as an earthwork circa 70 metres long by 54 metres wide to the west of de Bathe Farm..

Stocker, S., 2010, Reconnaissance Field Walk, de Bathe Barton Farm (Report - Survey). SDV348292.

Site visit 28th December 2009. The pool had been flooded in the weeks previous but at the time of the site visit only 20 centimetres of water remained in the bottom. There is a massive earthen bank on the east, south and west sides of the pool with the natural slope of the field above providing the northern bank. No ditch is apparent around the banked up earth suggesting that earth was excavated from the pool. The feature appears totally man-made. The landowner stated that an excavation had revealed no archaeology. The date of this excavation is unknown.

Environment Agency, 2011, LIDAR data JPEG images (2 metre resolution) (Cartographic). SDV348634.

Circular earthwork clearly visible.

Gethin, B., 2011, North Tawton Roman Forts (Correspondence). SDV351327.

Suggested that Bathe Pool could be a henge or an amphitheatre.

Horner, B., 2011, North Tawton Roman Forts (Correspondence). SDV351328.

Topographically Bathe Pool is likely to be a periodically de-silted pond. However, the LiDAR data indicates a definite earthwork.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7455 - Winkleigh Biomass Plant National Mapping Programme

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